Rail-brace.



w. H. HUPFMAN.

nm. muon. i APPLIUATNI FILED HAY i2, 1907.

899,30`2Q- .Pabnned senza-190s;

WILLIAM H. HUFFMAN, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

l RAIL-BEACH.

Specifica-tion of Letters lPatent.

Application led May 22, 1907.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

serial No. 375,146.

` connecting the rails of a railway track, and

its primary object is to provide simple and inexpensive means for firmly connecting together and bracmg the two rails ot' a track to prevent spreading of the rails.

A further object of the invention is to provide a connecting brace for railway rails which in addition to its function as a brace, will serve as a securing device for the splicebars or fish-plates of the rails thus avoiding the employment of bolts for that purpose, and the weakening oi the rails by the formation in `their web portions of a number of bolt holes.

The construction of the improvement will be fully described hereinafter, in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, and its features of novelty will be set forth in the appended claims.

, In the drawing z-Figure 1 is a transverse section of a railway track with my improvement applied thereto, and, Fig. 21s a similar view illustrating a modification of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the reference numerals 1 and 2 designate the track rails supported upon ties 3. The rails are connected together by a metal bar consisting of two counterpart sections 4 and y5, each provided at its outer end with a threaded rod extension 6, extending through an opening in the rail, and also through the splice bars 7 arranged 0n opposite sides of the rail at joints. The splice-bars are formed with openings registering with the opening in the rail, and upon the projecting outer end of the rod extension 6 is a nut .8 bearing against the outerl splice-bar, and serving to iirmly hold thef outer end of the brace section. The inner ends of the brace sections arc reduced to provide round rod exte11s| .ns E), which are connected by a turn-lnickle 1U :1s shown.

The utility and operation of the improved brace will be obvious, and it provides a substantial connection between the rails firmly bracing them transversely, and at the same time securing the splice-bars upon the rails.

The brace sections may be readily tensioned by means of the turn buckle.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the brace consists of a continuous rod 11 formed with threaded rod extensions 13 at its opposite outer ends. tensions ot' the rod 11 extend through registering openings in the rails and splice bars. Nuts 12 and 15-are fitted upon the threaded ends 13 to rest against the outer splice-bars and the end portions 14 of said rod l1 bear against the inner splice-bars as shown, to irmly hold the said rod and bind the splicebars to the rails. This modilied embodiment of the invention avoids the use of the turn-buckle, but in both forms of the invention shown is disclosed the important feature of securing the splice-bars upon the rails without employing supplemental bolts and nuts.

Having fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a rail brace, the combination with the rails, and the `[ish plates engaging the rails at their meeting ends, of a rail brace comprising two counterpart members, each member comprising a flat body portion having reduced cylindrical threaded ends, the said reduced threaded ends of both members being in the same plane, the outer end of each member projecting through the fish plates and the webs of the rails, nuts thereon to secure the said members in the iish plates and rails, said members and the nuts serving to bind the fish plates in position against the rails, and a turn-buckle connecting the adjacent inner `ends ot' said members, said turnlguckle lying in the same plane as the memers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VI l'iliIAM H. HUFFMAN.

Titncsscs Jona E. EwiN'o, J. BLAUW: McGoUN.

The said threaded end eX- 

